The present invention relates generally to wireless communications devices, and particularly to wireless communications devices capable of receiving commercially broadcast radio signals.
Wireless communications devices allow remote parties to communicate over a wireless communications network. As is known in the art, audio signals representative of a remote party's voice are received from a base station in the network and rendered as audible sound over a speaker disposed on the housing of the device. However, most wireless communications devices also incorporate a wide variety of functionality that compliments communications ability. Some manufacturers, for example, incorporate FM radios in their products. Still other manufacturers provide separate units having tuner circuitry that connect to the wireless communications device through an interface port. To hear commercially broadcast radio signals, such as those provided by an FM radio station, a user connects the tuner to the wireless communications device and tunes to the selected FM station. A control button on either the wireless communications device or the tuner allows the user to switch between an FM mode to listen to music, and a communications mode to answer/place incoming/outgoing calls.
Typically, manufacturers do not install high-quality speakers in their wireless communications devices. Rather, a single speaker is the norm. This may be due to factors such as cost, but usually, a single speaker suffices for conversational use because the user places the speaker proximate to his or her ear. Thus, for users to be able to enjoy stereo sound, conventional devices require a pair of headphones or external speakers connected to either the device or the separate unit. However, this means that the user is burdened with additional pieces of equipment and cabling, as well as the associated cost.